The wife of the Vice-President, Samira Bawumia, has urged students across Africa to come together to explore innovative solutions to promote community service and foster international collaboration to promote the continent.
She encouraged students to harness their power for a meaningful change and to open their minds to create a more sustainable and equitable world.
“With hope as our guide, let’s come together like a symphony, playing in harmony for a brighter future. Let’s also embrace empathy and be encouraged to change the status quo,” she said.
Mrs Bawumia was speaking at the 2024 Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) Global Issues Service Summit (GISS) in Accra.
It was hosted by Al-Rayan International School, an IB School in Ghana.
Summit
More than 250 international students from nine African countries and 18 schools are attending the summit aimed at empowering them to become active global citizens and future leaders.
The participants in the 2024 Association of International Schools in Africa Global Issues Service Summit in Accra
It is also a captivating experience intended to offer participants the opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery, service leadership development and personal growth that will shape their lives and create a lasting impact, inspiring them to make a positive difference in their communities.
Held on the theme: “Designing our future together”, Al-Rayan International School, in collaboration with AISA, produced an opening ceremony that depicted an African culture of unity on the sub-theme of partnership, collaboration and teamwork.
Optimism
Mrs Bawumia expressed optimism that the summit would provide an avenue for the students to learn from each other, exchange ideas and forge partnerships that would have a lasting impact.
“I encourage you to actively engage in the workshops, presentations and service learning activities using this day as a springboard for personal growth and collective actions,” she said.
She commended the organisers of the summit, especially the Al-Rayan International School (ARIS) and their student leadership team, for leading the pursuit of knowledge, understanding and empathy, and recognising that it was a collective responsibility to create a world more equitable and sustainable.
Better future
The Director of ARIS, Dr Fatma Odaymat, said the school was thrilled to host the global summit.
“We are, indeed, happy to host this event because at Al-Rayan, we believe in inspiring, empowering and transforming.
We are a diverse community committed to ensuring (that) we create a better world using education, and that is what this conference inspires,” she said.
“We take pride in advancing the promise of equality, justice, dignity and sustainability throughout Africa.
We believe we can create a better future for all by coming together, sharing ideas and collaborating.
It is actually what we do together collectively that makes us stronger,” she added.
Dr Odaymat urged stakeholders in the educational sector to use education to impact kids to know what they could do in future.
“They are the hope for the future, and if we do not develop educational programmes and design them to empower them to understand their problems by using the curriculum, we will not be doing justice to them,” she stressed.
Challenge
The Chief Executive Officer of Lead for Africa, Daniel Dotse, who was the keynote speaker, presented an empowering challenge intended to ignite passion to make a difference.
He encouraged participants to brace themselves for an opportunity to step up, unleash their potential and create meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
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